


Dissymmetry

by SatsunonSavior



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Autism Spectrum, Awkward Flirting, Awkwardness, Dancing, F/F, First Dates, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Romance, Satya is Queen of D.D.R, Video & Computer Games
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-19
Updated: 2016-06-19
Packaged: 2018-07-16 02:00:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,561
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7247632
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SatsunonSavior/pseuds/SatsunonSavior
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Symmetry (Noun): The beauty of form arising from balanced proportions.</p><p>Satya Vaswani believes that she can serve the world best by joining Overwatch.<br/>Hana Song thinks that joining Overwatch will boost her streaming viewership.<br/>The diminutive Korean girl is short, pretty, energetic, enthusiastic, social- everything that Satya Vaswani definitely isn’t.</p><p>They always did say that opposites attract.</p><p>(Commission for Kenju)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dissymmetry

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Kenju](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Kenju).



“So as you can see from the map, our target is here, just beyond Processing Substation forty-three dash B,” Winston said awkwardly, droning out the mission briefing with his face about six inches from his handout notes. He had always hated giving speeches, and the briefings before missions were no exception. Nonetheless, he made the best of it, going on and on and on about the topography, the objective, expected opposition, extraction and rendezvous points…

D.Va, real name Hana Song, wasn’t listening. She was too busy fuming over the loss of her phone. It was bad enough that everyone treated her like the team kid already, but confiscating her phone? _Seriously?_ Just because she’d been playing _Anipang_ instead of hearing Winston butcher another briefing that amounted to ‘Shoot this but not anything else’? It was enough to make her glad she was finally old enough to drink, not that anyone else seemed to care- they all still treated her like a child instead of an actual team member, and it was starting to piss her off. 

_Well, maybe not all of them treat me that way…_

She glanced covertly around the long briefing table, her eyes flickering over every face in turn. It wasn’t as if the rest of the team were paying any more attention than she was.

McCree was hunched over the table, working an oiled cloth into the nooks and crannies of his damn revolver like he always seemed to be doing whenever Hana looked at him, a small messy pile of tools beside him.

_Honestly, his attraction to that gun is even more ridiculous than his damn cowboy outfit._

Next to him, Tracer was leaning as far back as she possibly could, her feet up on the desk. She was folding her briefing agenda into a paper airplane, her messy hair half-shading eyes that seemed far away from the here-and-now. Further down, Reinhardt was grumbling out what sounded very much like a dirty joke to the diminutive form of Mei, whose chubby cheeks were slowly darkening to a flushed scarlet. Next to him Mercy was scribbling something down onto a clipboard, but it didn’t look like it was related to the mission- more medical notes she guessed, while across from her Pharah was giving Mercy those dopey cow-eyes, the way she did when she thought no one was looking. Hana snorted under her breath.

Worse still, most of the others were either goofing off, on another mission, or just plain _not here._ All in all, the atmosphere in the room resembled school on a Friday afternoon about two minutes before the bell. She couldn’t see a single person in the room who wanted to be there.

_Except for Satya, of course._

Satya Vaswani, who was sat up straight with an almost _intimidatingly_ good posture when compared to Hana’s sullen slouch. Satya Vaswani, who had her briefing sat neatly in front of her alongside a long line of carefully arranged pens; one red, one blue, one black. She also had a highlighter, aligned parallel to the page, which she was using to highlight items relevant to Winston’s droning explanation. Her elegant features were set in a gentle frown of concentration, and she was staring at Winston with narrowed eyes as he explained some piece of boring minutiae in intricate detail.

 _I wonder how she gets her eyelashes so perfect?_ Hana thought, _It really isn’t fair._

 

Then she realized she was staring, and looked away quickly. She was catching herself doing that more and more recently. Maybe she needed more sleep. Winston droned on seemingly without end and slowly, unwittingly, her eyes drifted back towards Satya. It wasn’t her fault, the woman was just interesting- or at least more interesting than the rest of the table’s occupants. Satya’s face of concentration had shifted slightly though- her rather full lips twisting downwards into a little grimace. She placed her highlighter aside and seemed to try and focus upon Winston, her shoulders set. Hana examined her closely, trying to figure out what had happened to sour the woman’s attitude. Soon she began to nervously fiddle with her hands, tapping her fingers together in a wave-like motion as if to occupy them, her digits rolling faster and faster, then reversing suddenly, showing a dexterity that even Hana found a little impressive.

Finally, something broke. Satya turned to one side and grabbed several of the small tools McCree had laid out to use on his precious weapon. His reaction was immediate; he straightened up in his chair _fast._

“Hey!” he barked, startling everyone. Satya ignored him, frantically putting the tools back in a small line, as opposed to the messy, oily jumble they’d been stacked in before. Only then did she lean back towards her own seat, her hands pressed together firmly. It seemed to take her a moment to realize that everyone was staring. When she did, she seemed to redden slightly, the flush only just noticeable against her dusky skin. She coughed and managed to mumble something under her breath.

“They weren’t straight.” she said, as if that made perfect sense. McCree raised his hands in a ‘what-the-hell?’ kind of gesture.

“So what?” he growled, “Don’t touch another man’s gun-stuff, woman!”

“But they weren’t straight!” Satya insisted, her voice somehow urgent, as if she couldn’t understand why McCree didn’t see that it was important. McCree opened his mouth to say something.

“God, old man, lay off her!” someone said angrily. Half a second later, Hana realized it had been her.

_Why the hell did she say that!?_

_Well…she was right, but still…_

“Watch your mouth, little girl!” McCree spat back.

“Little girl? I’m nineteen, not that anyone wants to treat me like it!” Hana said furiously, “And leave Satya alone!”

“Erm- guys?” Winston mumbled, as Hana rose out of her seat, slamming her hands down on the table, “Errr…team? Team!”

“If you’re such a grown-up, why don’t you act like it?” McCree growled, “You can even teach this one too! Start with keepin’ her hands to herself!”

“Oi! Jesse, quit being such a grump!” Tracer said, jumping into the argument as Winston looked around the table in something approximating despair.

“You too?” McCree drawled, “Shit, whaddid I do this time?”

“McCree!” Reinhardt boomed, “Vatch your language! There are ladies present!”

“I don’t see no damned ladies here!”

“Hey!” Hana said angrily, “Shut your mouth, ‘Jesse’, and Reinhardt? I don’t need protecting from bad language, alright!?”

“I vas only saying-”

“There’s no need to-”

“Don’t see why I gotta moderate mah tone when-”

“Stop trying to defend me!”

 

Through it all, Satya sat very still, seeming to shrink down into her chair, making herself as small as possible. Her eyes darted rapidly from person to person, and her chest was heaving beneath her dress her breathing growing faster and faster. The argument rose to fever pitch, half the table or more now standing, the better to yell at one another. The booming slam of Winston’s hands down onto the table shocked the room into silence. It also broke the table with a creaking, cracking noise of suddenly split wood.

“ ** _Everyone!_** ” he roared, then in the silence that followed, “Ahem…everyone…”

He trailed off, embarrassed, spluttering something under his breath. Hana felt a pang of pity for the gorilla- he might have been the one to call them all together, and his plans _were_ generally brilliant, but he wasn’t cut out to be a charismatic leader and he certainly hadn’t signed up to babysit a dozen or more eccentric wannabe heroes, either.

Mercy saved the day, her smooth voice interrupting his stream of mashed syllables and half-words.

“I think we’ve done all we can today, Winston,” she said, in a rather maternal tone, “We’ve been briefed, and everyone has their copy of the notes, yes?”

Everyone chorused an agreement. It was Mercy, after all.

“Then I think we’ve discussed everything we need to.” Mercy’s voice was so in control that people were rising and collecting their things to go within seconds of her sentence, without ever really thinking about _why_. Even Hana cracked her knuckles and pushed her chair in before the thought occurred to her. She let slip a little laugh.

_I guess when they tell you to listen to your doctor…_

She turned to leave, but hesitated, her hands patting her pockets. After a moment, she turned on one heel and walked back over to Winston, weaving her way past a still-grumbling McCree. She reached the disconsolate gorilla and held out her hand, palm up. Winston placed her phone in it without being asked, and she nodded at him.

“Winston…” she began, wanting to berate him- the leftover adrenaline from the aborted argument making her want to scream and shout and stamp her feet. She sighed. That would just prove them right. If she wanted to be respected, she couldn’t act like the little girl.

“Winston, I’m nineteen.” she said instead, “Please don’t try and confiscate my phone again.”

“Ahh…I’m sorry, Hana.” Winston said, looking so down that she couldn’t help herself. She leaned in and hugged him, pressing her face to the thick fur of his neck. He rumbled out a surprised little sound that made her giggle.

“It’s okay,” she said into his fur, “You’ve got a tough job, keeping us all pointed the right way.”

“I don’t know…” he rumbled, “I don’t think I’m cut out for it.”

“Well, you’re the best we have!” she said firmly, “We’ll do what we can to help, alright?”

Winston laughed as she stepped back out of the hug, shaking his head slowly.

“That actually makes me feel better,” he admitted, then hesitated, “Hana, if you’re serious about helping…”

“I am!” she said, putting her hands on her hips.

“Well then, could you find out what _that_ was all about?” he asked, “I really don’t want another shouting match in my briefings.”

Hana looked up at him, hesitating. That was a pretty big question. She wasn’t sure if-

 _Go for it!_ Her mind screamed at her, _This is a perfect excuse to bother Satya!_

“You can count on me!” she said, already turning to scan the room. She caught sight of Satya slipping through a side door hurriedly, and moved to follow her, leaving a very bemused Winston behind her.

“I…erm…thank you!” he said to her rapidly retreating back.

 

Satya’s face was twisted in self-loathing as she all but sprinted down the corridor, forcing herself to walk at a regular pace only through an effort of extreme willpower. As she did so, she chewed at her lip, berating herself internally.

 _Idiot. You just couldn’t stop yourself, could you? Couldn’t just be_ normal _for twenty minutes._

She was originally heading towards her quarters, but diverted, taking a right instead of a left. With this much pent up tension running through her, she had to blow off some steam. The gym, then. Hopefully it wouldn’t be occupied yet, so early in the day. She was so busy thinking up self-deprecating things to say about herself that she was caught utterly by surprise when Hana skidding up from behind her, clearly having been moving at a run. The girl grinned up at her.

“Hey!” she said cheerfully. Satya stared at her, her face bemused. She’d never really had much time for the tiny Korean girl- not that she _disliked_ her so much as from the way that her own issues had kept her from much socializing with the other members of the new Overwatch. So it was with a note of caution that she raised a hand in greeting.

“Hello there...D.Va, isn’t it?” she said. The girl grinned up at her some more.

“Hana, actually, though you’re not wrong!” she answered easily, “Hana ‘D.Va’ Song, that’s me! The ‘D.Va’ is just my screen-name.”

“Your…your ‘screen-name’?” Satya asked, bemused. _Is that a slang phrase perhaps?_

“Oh, a screen-name is a name that people use in online games.” Hana explained, then paused for a moment “Also, I didn’t mean to stop you- we can keep walking.”

Satya gave her a strange look and did so, taking her customary long strides until she saw the way the much shorter girl had to skip to keep up with her. Only then did she slow down somewhat.

“Ah, I see.” Satya said, “So you play online games a lot?”

“Yep! I’m famous!” Hana said, with absolutely no modesty, “Number one Starcraft III pro four years running, three years undefeated! And I’m top of the league too.”

“That…certainly is impressive!” Satya said, uncertainly. Hana let out a cheerful giggle.

“You have no idea what any of that sentence means, do you?” she asked, grinning.

“…I recognize the words and the grammatical structure beneath them,” Satya said lightly, “But yes, its meaning eludes me.”

“Ah…well,” Hana said, dismissing her concerns with a wave of her hand, “Basically, I rule.”

Satya made a sharp exhalation that wasn’t _quite_ a laugh, but probably counted as one by the stern Indian woman’s standards. Inwardly, Hana beamed. _Now all I need to do is carefully bring up the whole meeting thing and-_

“So what did you want?” Satya asked bluntly, “Is it about the meeting?”

Hana’s foot landed with a thump, and for a few steps Satya pulled ahead of her, the short girl caught by surprise before she could manage to catch up with a few skipping steps. As she pulled alongside her, she tried to think of a delicate answer to the woman’s question.

“I…er…yeah, I guess it is,” she stammered, suddenly wishing she’d reconsidered her eager acceptance of Winston’s little task, “I just…McCree shouldn’t have yelled at you,” she finished lamely.

“I touched his personal belongings without asking,” Satya said woodenly, “He was well within his rights to.”

“Y-Yeah, but he’s a jerk!” she argued, then bit her lip before just deciding to ask, “So why did you? Touch his stuff, I mean.”

Satya drew in a long breath and let it out in a rush. For a moment, Hana thought she might refuse to answer, until she began to speak in a low, serious voice.

“I have a condition. I am troubled by untidiness and disorder.” The woman could have been reading a medical diagnosis or a therapy report for all the emotion that was lacking in her voice.

“Oh.” Hana’s careful questions dissolved like so many cobwebs. _What the hell do I say to that!?_

“I’m sorry if that makes you uncomfortable.” Satya’s voice suggested that she wasn’t especially sorry.

“What? No! No, it doesn’t bother me! I just- I wanted to see if you were okay, that’s all.”

“I am perfectly fine,” Satya said, as she stopped before the door to the fitness room, pressing the admittance button. The door slid open smoothly, and she stepped inside. Hana lingered in the doorway, peering in.

“A gym? Since when did we have a gym?” she asked dumbly.

“It was installed during the original construction back in-”

“I was kinda being rhetorical there,” Hana interrupted quickly, “Anyway, you use the gym?”

“Yes?” Satya said, turning round to look at the girl, as if puzzled, “That’s…why I’m in here?”

“No, I mean…well you’re really fit- I mean you’re in shape and all,” Hana stammered, correcting herself, “But you didn’t really strike me as the _gym_ type.”

“Ah,” Satya nodded in understanding, slipping out of her shoes and aligning them neatly against the wall, “I dance.”

“You dance!?” Hana said, her eyes widening, “No way!”

“It is integral to my construction methods,” Satya said simply, “I find that dance allows me to channel hard-light shapes in a more fluid and efficient manner. Plus it doubles as extremely good cardio-vascular exercise, which is linked to greater fitness and lifespan.”

“That’s so cool!” said Hana, grinning somewhat impishly, “Can I watch!?”

Satya stiffened, but before she could say anything, Hana blurted-

“I’m sorry, that’s totally creepy! I didn’t- I mean- I…” she stammered, her face going red, “I’ll just go-”

“Wait!” Satya’s voice held an unexpectedly nervous edge, “You can…you can stay.”

 _Why did I say that?_ Satya thought to herself, her thoughts jumbling the way they did when she was nervous. _I’ve always hated talking to people, being asked questions. Social interactions are not my strong point! So why is it that I don’t want this one to end?_

Hana looked back at her, her cheeks still pink, one foot inside the door, one foot out. Just as it seemed she might speak, her pocket blared something in Korean. She jumped into the air, startled, and struggled at her hip with clumsy fingers. She withdrew a slender, high-tech looking phone, and glanced down at it questioningly. Then she threw her head back and let out a groan of truly epic proportions.

“I have to go,” she grumbled, “Winston was trying to fix my suit and he broke something.”

Satya nodded to her, “You have duties you must attend to.”

Hana turned to go, but lingered as Satya’s nervous voice drew her back.

“I- I would not mind if you wanted to return. Another time.” she said, unable to quite meet Hana’s eyes, “I am normally here most mornings.”

Hana’s whole body seemed to react to that; her face splitting into a beaming grin even as she rose up onto her tiptoes in sheer excitement.

“I’ll be there!” she almost squealed, flashing her a strange ‘V’ sign and sprinting off towards the hangar. Satya stared after her, her eyebrows furrowed.

 _What a strange girl,_ she thought, _I wonder why I said that?_

 

* * *

 

Two weeks went past in a blur, bringing the date of the mission closer and closer. On the day they were to head out, Satya found herself in the gym once more, running through the motions of her dances. Her eyes closed, she slid her arms in a complicated looking pattern as she turned one hundred and eighty degrees, and tried not to think about how the motion pulled the skin tight exercise shorts she was wearing taut across her hips. She heard the girl next to her stumble slightly as she tried to copy the gesture, and opened her eyes, reversing her motion until she was back where she had started.

“Not like that,” she said firmly, “Move on the balls of your feet, like so-”

She slid through the motion again, this time slower. It made her cheeks feel a little hot. Hana’s presence in the gym still felt like something of an intrusion into her routine, but she was trying her best to tolerate it. Even if it made her feel like her gym clothes were two sizes too tight over her body. She assured herself that it was simply a reaction to having someone watching her while she exercised; she could all but feel Hana’s eyes on her as she moved through the dancing routine that made up her daily cardio.

“Oh, I get it!” Hana said eagerly, then mimicked the woman’s turn. She promptly moved too fast and nearly stood on her own foot, tripping herself neatly. Satya sighed.

“No, you’re rushing. Move as slow as you have to in order to perfect the motion. Every muscle, every limb has its place.”

She performed the turn again, even slower than before, her arms and legs moving glacially, making the gentle muscles of her limbs stand out. Hana gawked at her until Satya was sure her cheeks must be burning up with embarrassment. She finished the move and turned to look at her over one shoulder.

“Now you.”

Hana bit her lip, then took a deep breath and blew it out in a rush. She assumed the starting position, then moved through the opening turn- slowly this time, like she was supposed to. She finished the turn smoothly, holding herself in place while her eyes flicked to Satya for approval. She nodded firmly. Only then did Hana bounce up out of the pose, pumping her fist in the air with a ‘Woo!’ of pure excitement. Satya stared. The girl was like a butterfly in a classroom; bright, beautiful, energetic… and seriously distracting.

 

They finished up a little less than twenty minutes later- longer than Satya had intended to take in the gym that morning. Next came a shower, breakfast and then her mission preparation. Satya had a routine which she followed- which she _enjoyed_ following, and it had no place in it for distractions like Hana. Only these days, it seemed that it did. The short Korean girl had inveigled herself into her daily routine slowly, until she found herself wondering where she was on the rare days that she failed to attend her morning workout in the gym. That was a new, and not entirely pleasant development.

She was still pondering the new friendship she seemed to have acquired by the time she entered the hangar, skirting the edge of the assembled agents. There were seven of them already there, with Satya making it eight. She looked around- Winston, Reinhardt and Tracer stood in a circle, discussing the mission, while Mei and Mercy seemed to be swapping stories. Leaning against one wall were the last two members already present; Soldier: 76, and of course, Jesse McCree, who shot her a dark look from underneath his hat. She flinched away from it, taking an elaborate route around him to get to her equipment. She’d added some boots and her long dress to her outfit, along with a thicker pair of thigh high socks. According to the briefing, the temperature range was in the low twenties, which was around minus five Celsius. Of course the Omnics that were advancing through the snow had no such concerns. As she was checking over her weapon, she noted Hana’s late arrival; the girl jogging into the hangar after the others.

It was her first time seeing the diminutive girl as part of the team, and more importantly, out of the baggy, casual clothes she always seemed to be wearing around the base. So it was with a critical gaze that she examined Hana as the girl trotted over towards her. Now that she was actually _looking_ at the girl, she was somewhat taken aback by how…well-formed she was.

 _Purely in a platonic way,_ she told herself; the girl appeared just a little too young for _that_ kind of thinking. Rather, it was in terms of proportions. She had long, thick looking brown hair that ended just below her shoulders- which was just long enough to be feminine without becoming an inconvenience. Her eyes were a lighter shade that complemented her hair, while their shape was a gently flaring oval. Her nose was straight and narrow, and contrasted against her slightly rounded cheeks, which were emphasized by those little swatches of paint in neat little triangles.

_Are they imitations of whiskers? It must be a fashion thing._

All in all, she was wonderfully symmetrical. Again, purely in a platonic sense, she reminded herself as her eyes slid down to the girl’s uniform. That too was quite wonderfully designed, a clever blend of form and function. Skin tight so as not to catch when entering or ejecting from her combat suit, and an interesting color scheme of pink and blue. The linear design that traced down her outline was very attractive too…

“Do I pass inspection?” Hana asked, grinning at her with her hands on her hips. Satya nearly jumped, startled into motion. Her eyes darted up to Hana’s face for a moment as she shook her head in confusion. The girl was standing in front of her, and seemed to have been doing so for some time.

“I beg your pardon?” she asked nervously.

“I asked if I passed your inspection,” Hana replied cheekily, “Since you’ve spent the last two minutes staring at me. Is my English right?”

“O-Oh, I mean,” Satya flushed, her dusky cheeks tinging pink, “No, your English is correct, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to stare, I was just-” she broke off, cursing herself. _Can’t just act normal, can you?_

“It’s okay!” Hana said quickly, noticing that her innocent joke was sparking more than the simple blush she’d been going for, “I don’t mind staring! It’s not like you’re _leering_ over me, I was just teasing!”

“Oh. Well…” Satya grimaced, then managed to blurt, “I like how you look today. It’s very symmetrical.”

No sooner had she said the words, than she was stalking past the startled looking girl, her face reddening steadily.

_Wonderful. ‘You look very symmetrical today, Hana.’ What kind of compliment is that, Satya?_

“S-Satya?” Hana called after her, her smile falling away. Satya didn’t turn to face her as she spoke.

“I have preparations to make, please excuse me.” She turned a corner, and quickly lost herself amid the milling team members. Hana stared at her rapidly retreating back, her head tilted, eyebrows furrowed.

 _What was_ that _all about?_

 

* * *

 

“Enemies are attempting to break through my defenses. Engaging.”

Satya’s voice was a calm, collected alto over their team comms. The Indian woman was anchoring their right flank, holding a ridge line against a number of Omnic battle-units while the team prepared to destroy the Omnium the units were protecting. Hana lined up her sights and blew two more enemy units away, clearing a path for the team members on foot to follow her in. She flicked open her comms to answer.

“Do you need any help?” she asked cheerfully.

“Negative.” Satya seemed to be all business now. Hana had to admire her focus under pressure. It was something she had that few other people could match. No matter how occasionally awkward the woman might seem in a social setting, on the battlefield she was calm, controlled and entirely in her element. The planting was going off without a hitch; less than a minute after she’d cleared the path, Winston’s grumbling voice filled her ear.

“Charges planted; H.E and E.M.P both. We’re on our way out!”

“Be advised,” Satya’s voice held only the slightest hint of tension, “Enemies are massing in significant numbers. Beginning to disengage.”

Hana looked from the retreating team to the ridgeline, where she could now see the dim orange light of tracer fire, overlaid with a white-blue glow of defense turrets. She turned her MEKA on its heel and fired up the jump-jets.

“Winston, I’m going to go collect Satya, okay?” she said, already moving. Winston seemed short of breath as he acknowledged her, and she saw him carrying Tracer on his broad shoulders as he knuckled his way through the snow. The girl appeared uninjured however, and waved cheerily at her as they went past.

Hana stomped her way up the ridgeline, dispatching the occasional straggler or Omnic that hadn’t been fully disabled, heading towards a single dark figure running through heavy snow. She pulled alongside her at a jog, skidding to a sliding halt before her a moment later. The woman stared up at the MEKA with a somewhat dazed expression on her face.

“Hana?” Satya asked, sounding confused. Hana grinned.

“I thought I’d give you a ride,” she said glibly, “Since you’re not dressed for the weather.”

“Oh…thank you?”

The Indian woman clambered onto the side of the MEKA’s left arm, and they stomped off at a jog. Normally MEKA pilots wouldn’t run in snow, but Hana was confident that she could keep her footing. As they ascended the slope, heading towards the team now clustered around their transport, she chanced a glance behind her. Her eyes widened as she took in the scene.

Dozens of Omnic battle-units lay dismembered or disassembled across the wide open space before the ridgeline. Even now, advance units of the next wave were being sliced into ribbons by carefully concealed sentry turrets hidden in the snow.

“Wow…that’s not ‘significant numbers’?” she asked, dumbfounded.

“My defense grid was designed to hold against somewhere between one hundred and one hundred fifteen Omnic units, dependent on standard types and equipment loadouts.” Satya’s answer was as businesslike as if she’d been explaining a very dry essay to a student. Hana whistled.

“I was just joking, but okay!” she said, “Consider me impressed!”

Behind them, the bomb went off, signaling the end of a particularly successful mission.

 

They piled out of the transport a little less than four hours later, divesting themselves of jackets, cold-weather gear and weapons as they separated in the same old groups; Tracer, Winston and Mercy formed a companionable knot, the core of the old Overwatch chattering in a friendly way as they headed off. Reinhardt and Mei headed down towards Torbjörn’s workroom, each with damaged or malfunctioning equipment, and even Soldier: 76 and McCree formed a duo as they headed out towards the range. Hana rolled her eyes at them as they went past.

 _If we get any more of them,_ she thought, _we can host a tall, dark and silent convention._

She was left to tend to her MEKA like she always did, running simple diagnostics and reloading her weapons- making sure to check them for any sign of icing over or damage from the cold weather. She also took a moment to send the camera footage to her PC. She’d splice the best bits together and sync it to music for her fans later. _Maybe one of Lúcio’s new tracks…_

She caught a glimpse of motion out of the corner of her eye and turned to find Satya closing the door of her equipment locker, packing away the last of her gear neatly. She watched as the tall Indian woman let out a long sigh and turned to leave- one lone figure among the groups. She bit her lip, looking down at her MEKA’s maintenance schedule.

_I can probably catch up on this later…_

She shook her head, pushing herself up out of the cockpit with a grunt, her mind made up. She sped into a jog to catch up with Satya’s retreating form, taking the woman by surprise as she came level with her. She matched the taller woman stride for stride, even if she had to take a little skipping step every two or three meters to stay abreast of her.

“Hey!” she said with a little wave. Satya gave her the same cautious smile as ever, as if she wasn’t quite sure why the girl was talking to her.

“Hello Hana,” Satya said, “You performed well on the mission today.”

“Thanks,” Hana grinned, “I know, I’m great! Anyway-” she began, the idea just occurring to her, “Me and some of my friends were supposed to go to an arcade this weekend, but they have a thing and they can’t make it.”

“I see. That must be quite inconvenient.”

Hana giggled at the stoic response. “Yep. Sooooooooo-” she dragged the word out, “I was wondering if you wanted to come with me instead. How about it?”

Satya almost stopped walked, surprise openly crossing her face. She hesitated, biting off several words before she could construct a cogent answer.

“Why- Why me?” she settled on finally, “Surely you must have other friends who could escort you?”

“Nah, not really,” Hana said, waving her hand as if to dismiss the idea, “They’re not really into arcades. And plus I thought you spend a lot of time around base, maybe you’d like to get out and stretch your legs for a bit?”

“That…is true,” Satya admitted almost grudgingly, “I have wanted to see some of the city. The architecture of the base is quite aesthetically pleasing, but it’s beginning to become repetitive.”

“Well there you go!” Hana said, spreading her arms expressively, “Meet me by the main gate at one, okay?”

“Hold on, I didn’t accept-” Satya began, but Hana was already racing back towards her MEKA, waving goodbye.

“This is gonna be awesome!” she shouted, leaping athletically up onto the silent behemoth’s arm, “Those guys are totally gonna regret not going, I swear!”

Satya sighed and stopped trying to argue. _Who knows,_ she mused, _it might even be enjoyable._

She’d only just turned the corner when the reality of the situation hit her. She stopped walking completely this time, her face going pale.

_Oh gods, is this a date!? This sounds like a date!_

_I need help._ _Serious, professional help._

She started walking again, faster now, changing her route. There was really only one person she could ask for help in this situation- and since her mother had most likely passed on by now, she’d have to go with the next best thing.

 

Mercy was just finishing up a report on the missions injuries (bruises, scuffs, and Lena, who’d managed to break a finger) when Satya stepped into her doorway, knocking politely on the wall. She looked up from her paperwork and gave her a warm smile, gesturing for her to come in.

“Doctor Zeigler,” Satya began without introduction, “You have a reputation for helping people with problems.”

“I suppose that’s true,” Marcy said, shuffling her paperwork into a folder and setting it aside. She’d been around Satya long enough to know how the woman worked, and wasn’t at all put off by her honest, somewhat abrupt way of speaking, “What exactly is the problem, Satya?”

“It’s only…it’s not a medical problem,” Satya admitted, “And I didn’t know if I could bother you with it…”

“No, that’s fine!” Mercy insisted, “My door is always open for anyone with problems, no matter the source.”

Satya sighed in relief, moving to sit on one of the stools by Mercy’s desk. She began to tap her fingers together in a wave-like motion back and forth, something Mercy recognized as a nervous tic of hers.

“I…I know this seems strange, but…how young a person would it be socially acceptable for me to date?” she asked finally, not looking up. Mercy tilted her head and thought for a moment. She knew that Satya would want an answer first, and questions later.

“You’re…twenty-eight, correct?” she asked, to an affirmative nod, “Well it depends… _I_ would say anyone over eighteen.”

“Isn’t that a bit young?” Satya asked nervously. Mercy shook her head.

“It depends a lot on the maturity of the people involved,” she said, giving Satya a reassuring smile, “Would you be averse to sharing the identity of this mysterious suitor? Confidentially, of course.”

Satya was quiet for a long moment, the motion of her fingers growing faster and more complex, until she realized what she was doing and forced her hands into fists down by her sides. Suddenly, she blurted-

“Hana Song.”

Mercy’s eyebrows climbed her face, her mouth dropping open. She lifted a hand, fingers grasping air as she tried to think of something to say. Satya’s face wrinkled up in confusion, her eyebrows furrowing darkly. Finally, she spoke.

“I…forgive me, Dr. Zeigler, I’m having trouble reading your body language.”

“Ah, I’m sorry, dear,” Mercy smiled at her, raising her hands in apology, “I was just surprised. I had no idea that your…orientation was aimed in that particular direction.”

Satya looked embarrassed, her gaze skirting away from direct eye contact.

“I…that is…it’s not! Or maybe it is? I don’t know! I’ve never really been attracted to anyone before.” She raised her own hands in a helpless gesture. “I thought that with my…condition...”

“I see.” Mercy’s face brightened in sudden understanding. “You should know it’s not unusual for people on the spectrum to be romantically involved. Not unusual at all, dear.”

“But she’s so young!”

“Nonsense! Hana’s what? Nineteen?” Mercy said, counting on her fingers, “She has a birthday in a few months, I think, and that’d make her twenty! That’s only an eight year difference.”

“But what you said…about maturity. She’s so…energetic and-”

“Hana Song-” Mercy began, “has had a career, been a celebrity, joined the army, and is an active member of Overwatch! If that doesn’t qualify her as ‘mature’, I don’t know what does.”

“I…see…” Satya said carefully, clearly not convinced. Mercy decided to change tack.

“Is there something currently going on between the two of you?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

“No! I mean, not really. It’s just that…she’s invited me out to a social function,” Satya said, then clarified, “She wants me to go with her to an arcade.”

“Oh I see! Is anyone else going?”

“No, there was supposed to be, but apparently her friends were unable to attend.”

“Ah, I see. Now while that _could_ be a friendly function, it does strike me as a date.”

“How so?”

“Well, that statement is probably a lie on her part,” Mercy explained carefully, walking her through it, “She deflects some of the tension of her just asking you out somewhere by claiming that more people _would_ be attending but were suddenly unable to. Thus putting the two of you together for the day.”

“Oh…so you’re saying she wants to take me out on a date, without making it seem too much like a date?”

“That’s quite an apt summation, yes.”

“I see.” Satya seemed to think about that for a long minute, her head bowed. Then she pushed herself to her feet and fixed Mercy with a worried look, gnawing at her lip.

“Dr. Zeigler…” she began nervously, “What do you _wear_ to a date?”

 

* * *

 

It was only twelve thirty when Satya arrived by the gates, nervously looking round for potential witnesses. Not finding any, she folded her arms and settled in to wait and worry, already unsettled by the interruption to her routine. As she tapped her foot and thought of everything that could possibly go wrong, another portion of her mind was wondering whether or not she’d have said yes to the invitation if it were from someone other than Hana.

 _Well it’s not as if I actually said ‘yes’,_ she corrected, _but then again I didn’t say ‘no’ either…_

After a while, she decided that she probably wouldn’t have decided to go out somewhere with any of the other people who conceivably would have asked. The answer didn’t reassure her in the slightest; in fact, now she had twenty long minutes to think about exactly what _that_ signified.

Hana’s voice startled her up out of her haze of worry.

“Hey early bird!” she said, stepping lightly up to her. Satya almost jumped, but controlled herself and made the motion look attentive instead of startled.

“Ah,” she said dumbly, “I wasn’t expecting you yet.”

“Yeah, well I figured you’d be early!” Hana said, waving away the comment, “You look nice, by the way!”

Satya tried her hardest not to react to the comment, briefly thanking her parents for her dark coloring and the way it camouflaged any tell-tale flush that might be rising on her cheeks. It wasn’t as if she were dressed fancily. It wasn’t as if she’d made a real effort.

Okay, she was wearing a _sari_. But she owned several. She could have chosen to wear them any day. It wasn’t as if she’d specially chosen the light, flowing blue one that went well with her earrings and necklace, which were likewise adorned with lapis and other blue gemstones.  She let out a little sigh.

“Thank you,” she said softly, “You as well.”

Hana’s ‘going-out’ clothes turned out to be similar to her uniform- a white shirt adorned with blue and pink rabbit-head silhouettes beneath a blue jacket and a pair of leggings with dizzying patterns that clung tight to her surprisingly long, shapely- Satya tugged her gaze away before she was caught staring. No matter what Mercy had said, she still felt a little predatory when she caught her gaze wandering. Perhaps it was just the fact that being _attracted_ to someone was such a rare occurrence for her, she thought as they slipped out of the main gates and down towards the city, their shoulders almost brushing as they moved through the narrow streets. She was still lost in thought as Hana paced beside her, talking a mile a minute.

“Hey,” Hana said finally, butting her shoulder against Satya’s gently, “Are you alright?”

“What?” she replied tactlessly, “Oh, yes. I’m sorry.”

“You were miles away,” Hana said, almost accusingly, “Something up?”

“I…I was just thinking that I’m not used to going out…with someone.” Satya ventured cautiously. Hana turned her head to smile up at her reassuringly.

“You’re doing fine,” she said, “But you really should go out more! There’s a whole city out here, y’know?”

“I know, but truthfully? No one’s asked me until now,” Satya admitted.

“Well you _can_ go on your own!” Hana teased, “It’s not like you need a walking partner!”

It was Satya’s turn to look at her friend strangely. _But how would…_ she began to think, then became distracted as Hana’s fingers closed around her hand tightly. She gasped and straightened up, startled- only to be cut off by Hana’s breathless laugh. The pressure suddenly slackened as the girl took a step away.

“Oh, I’m sorry!” Hana mumbled, red-faced, “I didn’t-”

Mercy’s gently reassuring voice rose in Satya’s mind; _She might want to hold your hand, or something of that nature. Are you alright with that?_

“No, it’s-” Satya said quickly, “You just startled me, that’s all!”

As she said it, she took a step in close to the shorter girl and linked arms with her, performing the motion so gracefully that it took Hana nearly a full second to realize she had done it.

“So, is this the place?” Satya asked, changing the subject. Hana stared up at her for a second, a look on her face that Satya failed to fully decipher before it was replaced with a fleeting smile.

“Yeah, just in here,” Hana said easily. Satya narrowed her eyes as the girl turned away. She could have sworn that the Korean girl’s cheeks were a little flushed. She shook her head and swept inside alongside her date. _It’s probably just from the sun,_ she thought to herself as she did so.

The street gave way to a brightly lit doorway, shielded by heavy curtains to keep out the sun. Hana swept the curtain aside in a manner that was vaguely gentlemanly, allowing Satya to step through first. She did so, ducking her head and shoulders under the thick fabric, and walked right into a nightmare.

 

Sound blared at her from every direction; not from one source, or two, but from a dozen, a hundred, a thousand. The high pitched giggles of teenage girls jarred against the squeals and yells of children, the hammering of feet, the boom-boom-boom of something loud and deep clashing with a chittering, blaring jingle from a machine to her side. That would have been bad enough by itself, but it was accompanied by a crowd of people, nearly all of whom were younger than Satya, rushing this way and that in dizzying spirals. The smell of sugar and street food was heavy in the air, and she wrinkled up her nose in distaste.

It reminded her of home, and _not_ in a good way.

 “Home sweet home,” Hana said nostalgically as she led them through the twisting maze of narrow passageways towards a row of games, “What do you wanna try first?” she asked, turning and showering her with a smile so brilliant that for a moment Satya forget her surroundings. Then a sullen looking teenager carrying a drink nearly barreled into them, forcing them together for the space of a breath. Satya raised her arms to avoid any unfortunate accidents, but as she did so, she felt something soft and warm press into her chest. She looked down to see Hana snapping her head back from where it had collided with her breasts, her cheeks now _definitely_ pink.

“That one looks good!” Satya said, pointing at a machine without even _pretending_ to look at what it was. Hana just nodded, and they made their way towards it at a much less intimate distance from one another.

 

“There! That guy, shoot that guy!”

“I can’t, my gun isn’t working!”

“Shoot outside the screen to reload!”

“What!? That doesn’t make any sense!”

Somewhere around the hour mark, Satya realized she was actually having fun. Not thanks to her surroundings- those were still a pressing, awful weight upon her senses, but thanks to Hana she was able to ignore them, replacing them with her gleeful laugh, her smiles, her vivacity, her sheer enthusiasm for anything and everything they came across. She smiled, completely lost as Hana squealed and ran over to an old, battered looking arcade cabinet, babbling something about its vintage, or pedigree or heritage, which swept clean over Satya’s head entirely.

“I mean I can’t believe they managed to get an original-” Hana broke off, shaking her head, “It’s ridiculous! Anyway, gimme a second to go to the restroom and I’ll be right back!”

The girl was gone and around the corner before Satya could open her mouth to reply, her hand outstretched. She let it fall to her side and stood there awkwardly, looking around. With the distraction of her date gone, her surroundings quickly went from pleasant back to purgatorial. Sound began to press in on her from every direction once more, without the bright sound of Hana’s laugh to keep it away. A machine blared from behind her and she jumped, turning to face it, folding her arms beneath her breasts, her heart hammering. A pair of teenage boys in a scuffle brushed past her, making her shudder at the unexpected contact. She turned, backed into the corner, folding her arms tighter. Her breathing was ragged, uneven now, and the lights of the machines opposite her swirled dizzily, stabbing at her eyes in all the colors of the rainbow.

She lost track of time then, until seconds or hours later Hana tugged at her sleeve, her face set in a frown.

“Hey, sorry I took so long, there was this _huge_ line and-” she cut off as she saw Satya’s distant eyes, “Satya? Are you okay? Oh _shibal!_ ”

That last choice phrase was whispered harshly under her breath as she realized what was going on. With a feather light touch, she linked arms with the taller woman and walked her quickly through the arcade, taking several dizzying turns until they came out in a blessedly quiet room, lit comfortably with several small lamps. Several pool tables were set up around the room, but no one seemed to be using them, leaving the two of them alone. Hana let go of the woman as soon as possible, taking a step back and giving her some space. Satya let out a long sigh as her breathing began to slow, her pounding heart falling back towards its regular rhythm.

“I’m sorry,” she began, only to have Hana raise a hand to interrupt her.

“No, I’m sorry!” Hana answered her, “I didn’t realize you didn’t like crowds and the noise and stuff. I should have thought about it.”

“Nonsense,” Satya said, her tone firming up, “It’s not your fault, Hana.”

“Feels like it,” Hana mumbled, inspecting the floor. Satya reached out and took her by the hand for a moment.

“Hana, I’m a grown woman,” she said in a self-deprecating tone, “I can look after my own issues.”

Hana looked up sharply, then gave her a sheepish grin.

“Yeah, I guess you can, huh?”

After a moment more, Satya straightened up, brushing the front of her sari.

“Alright, let’s go back out.” She tried to sound more confident than she felt. Hana’s eyebrows rose.

“Are you sure? We can just go, if you’d rather-”

“I don’t want to ruin our time together,” Satya insisted, sure her cheeks must be pink by now. She offered the girl her arm, dipping at the waist slightly. Hana giggled and slipped her arm through hers, letting the woman lead her back out into the arcade. They had only taken a few steps when Satya came to a complete halt, her eyes wide.

“Hana…” she began, her head tilted in confusion. Hana tracked her gaze, then grinned.

“Oh my god, that’s perfect!” she giggled in sheer exuberance, “DDR is like, the perfect game for you!”

“What on earth,” Satya asked, “Is ‘DDR’?”

 

“Excellent! Excellent! Perfect!” The man shouted, over and over, like a personal trainer stuck in a loop. Satya smiled grimly, her slender, muscular legs blurring as she demolished another frantic collection of colored arrows. Beside her, Hana was swearing steadily in Korean, sweat beading on her brow as she tried to keep up.

“Good! Good! Bad! Uh-oh!” the announcer cried, as she lost track of her rhythm and botched the second half of the string. Hana groaned and ran a hand through her hair, turning to spare a glance at Satya’s performance. What she saw was anything but heartening; the tall Indian woman looked almost relaxed, her eyes half lidded as she danced and stepped through the complex motions. Hana swore.

“How are you so _good_ at this?” she asked, more than a little frustrated. Losing was _not_ her strong-suit. Satya actually laughed at that- a merry, ringing sound, and suddenly Hana didn’t mind so much.

“If you think this game is hard,” she said, not even out of breath, “You should have seen my architect coursework!”

“I’ve been playing this game- _shit!_ I’ve been playing DDR for like, five years!” Hana growled, “You should not be beating me on your first time!”

“They’re patterns,” Satya said, throwing in a little flourish of her hands as she finished the song, “I’m good with patterns.”

Both women were startled into motion by the sound of cheers and applause behind them. Satya whirled to see an audience of a dozen or so grinning at her, shouting various expressions of support. Hana spotted them too, and swept over to her, linking arms once more.

“Let’s get out of here before anyone recognizes me,” she said, seizing the excuse with both hands and leading the woman towards the exit. Satya chuckled and moved with her, barely a hair out of place despite the furious motion she had been engaged in. Hana bit her lip as the narrow space forced the taller woman ahead of her, conceding that despite Satya’s obvious skill, her poor performance might have more than a little to do with how _amazing_ the woman looked in that gorgeous sari, let alone while she danced in it.

 _Good god, Hana, don’t start having thoughts like that,_ she chided herself, _You invited her out for a nice time, don’t make it weird._

“Do you want something to eat?” Hana asked as they came out into the sudden heat of the day, shielding her eyes from the blazing light. Satya shook her head.

“Something to drink, perhaps?” she ventured. Hana grinned.

“Other than my tears of frustration?”

“I think regular water would do fine,” Satya said lightly, smiling.

 

So it was that they strolled back up towards the base, taking their time in the journey, sharing a bottle of water between them that was so cold it was almost painful. Satya actually felt a pang of regret as she saw the tall walls of the base come into view over the crest of the hill, marking the end of her first date. The time had been one of the happiest she’d ever known- she hadn’t been aware it was possible to fit so much into an hour and a half and still have it feel so short. All that was left was the parting.

_And that’s the problem. What do we do?_

The gate grew closer and closer, until they drew level with the beginning of the wall. Satya bit her lip, considering her options. She slowed her pace, willing the small metal doors to grow further away. They stubbornly refused, and suddenly they were before them, at a halt once more.

_Just…be honest, I suppose._

Satya turned on her heel and faced the short Korean girl, smiling down at her nervously.

“Well…here we are,” she said awkwardly, rubbing at her arm. Hana let out a weak chuckle.

“Yep…here we are.” There was a long pause as each waited for the other to speak. Finally, Satya’s patience ran out. She drew in a deep breath and let it out in a rush.

“Well, Hana…” she coughed, clearing her throat, “I just wanted to say that I really enjoyed our date today.”

Hana tilted her head, her eyes wide.

“I beg your pardon?”

“I said,” Satya repeated nervously, “That I enjoyed our date.”

“Our date.” Hana’s voice held a wooden tone, “Our…date?”

Satya bit her lip.

“Is that not the right term for it?” she asked.

"Well- I...I mean, I just thought you looked kinda lonely and-” Hana said, flustered, “You don’t really hang out with anyone else, but-”

Satya felt the floor drop out from under her.

_Idiot. She was just humoring the loner. And you got excited and let yourself think she might actually-_

“Oh, I’m sorry.” Satya’s mouth said, though the rest of her seemed to close down, “I must have misinterpreted.” Her foot lifted up, her hand reaching for the door to the gate. Hana’s eyes widened and she shifted her weight, moving to block her.

“Wait, wait, wait!” she babbled quickly, “You _wanted_ it to be a date!?”

Satya stared down at her for a moment, before the heat of their eye contact grew too much and she was forced to look away, her cheeks burning.

“Of course I did! You’re very…interesting,” she admitted, flushing so badly that she was sure that her skin would not save her, no matter how dark it was. Hana looked up at her as if Satya had grown horns and started singing.

“And you…” Hana’s cheeks were at least as red, and on her complexion it was a lot more noticeable, “You swing that way?”

“Swing?” Satya tilted her head, furrowing her brows in confusion.

“I mean, you’re attracted to women?” Hana clarified through her blush, unable to meet Satya’s eyes.

“Oh. I- I don’t know.”

“What do you mean you don’t know!?” Hana asked, raising her hands in question. Satya flushed a deeper shade of red.

“I mean I don’t know! I’m just attracted to _you!_ ”

Her words seemed to echo in the sudden, gaping silence between them as their conversation ground to a halt. Neither of them could manage to meet the other’s eyes for more than a second or two, and any attempts to do so only made their embarrassment worse. Finally, Hana broke the silence in a rush.

“Ilikeyoutoo,” she mumbled. Satya stared.

“What?”

“ _I like you too,_ ” Hana repeated, this time enunciating every word with painful clarity, “But I didn’t know if you were into chicks, and you’re always so cool and focused, and I didn’t think I’d stand a chance so I didn’t wanna say anything…”

 

Satya felt as if she were reeling. The floor beneath her feet still hadn’t reappeared, and her head was spinning with all this new information, along with several emotions she wasn’t overly familiar with and which were a little too scary to examine closely. Instead, she blurted the first thing that came to mind.

“Aren’t I a little old for you, though?” she asked. Hana’s response was immediate _and_ firm.

“Age is just a number,” she declared, hands on her hips, “I’m sick of people not taking me seriously.”

“It’s just that Mercy told me the societally accepted formula is half of your age plus seven.”

“That’s what they say,” Hana replied, already planning a doctor’s visit of her own- she decided she needed to have a few choice words with Cyrano de Zeigler. Satya gnawed at her lip before speaking.

“Using that formula, it wouldn’t be acceptable for me to date you for another four years.”

Hana smiled up at her sweetly- “Do you want to wait?”

“That’s not what I’m saying,” Satya mumbled, “I just mean-”

Hana interrupted- “So you don’t want to wait?”

“Would you let me finish my-”

“If you don’t want to wait,” Hana interrupted immediately, “Then you should take me out on a date!”

“What?” Satya almost shouted, spreading her arms wide, “What on earth are you talking about?”

“Well, I just took you out, even if it wasn’t a proper date,” Hana explained patiently, “So if you don’t want to wait, you should take me out on a real date. Dinner, maybe? Not tonight. But soon.”

Satya raised her hands as if to begin arguing, then slumped her shoulders, letting out a long sigh.

“I give up,” she said with a weak smile, “I either go out with you or you badger me to death.”

Hana grinned, her smile so sweet and endearing that Satya couldn’t find it in her to be annoyed.

“Well, y’know, us youngsters and our energy…” she broke off as she saw Satya come to a decision, “So, what’s it going to be? Date or death?”

 

Satya smiled down at the shorter girl, reaching out to take her by the hand.

“I’ll take you out. Tomorrow evening,” she chuckled softly, “After all, it has a kind of symmetry to it…”

**Author's Note:**

> And there you go!  
> I hope you guys like this; when I was first approached for the commission I was wondering if the two characters would go together but as I went on I liked what I was seeing more and more!
> 
> Anyway; the 'date' outfits came from these two wonderful artists whom I have absolutely no affiliation with!
> 
> http://no-crowns-for-kings.tumblr.com/post/132877207854/wanted-to-draw-symmetra-in-traditional-clothes  
> http://jununy.tumblr.com/post/144971798193
> 
> Views and Kudos are awesome, comments are GREAT! And as always, thanks for reading!
> 
> I'm offering commissions at; Hiroshi_Nakano@hotmail.co.uk  
> And if you want to buy me ramen, you can at https://digitaltipjar.com/SatsunonSavior/


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